The Marrying Game (62 page)

‘Listen to Mrs Cratchit,’ Selena said. She and Lydia were still giggling over ‘Muriel’.

Rose took her tumbler of gin from Roger. She was finding it difficult to sniff away her tears, but only because her heart – like Scrooge’s – was laughing. Tomorrow morning, when she went to the village church to watch Linnet’s performance as the innkeeper’s wife in the nativity play, everyone she loved on earth would be in the pew beside her. She thought what a simple thing this was to wish for – and, at the same time, how immense.

Roger understood. While Lydia and Selena teased Ran for weeping over Tiny Tim, he gently squeezed her
shoulder
, murmuring, ‘Wouldn’t he have loved all this?’

Rose could only nod. It was no longer painful to remember the Man. The memories that came into her mind still made her cry, but they were joyful and benign, as if scattered by the Man himself. He was present, in a way he had not been present since his death. Last Christmas they had been too raw with shock, too blind with grief, to notice him.

She could not stop marvelling over the changes. This time last year, Selena had been sullen and belligerent. Lydia had been passive and despairing. Now Selena had blossomed into a confident bluestocking who cooked and organized, and briskly corrected her mother’s misquotations. And Lydia – whether one entirely approved or not – was alight with the happiness of reclaiming Ran. He had stayed at Melismate for a week after Bonfire Night, until Polly had dropped his house keys through the letter box. Then he had carried his wife and child back to Semple Farm.

Polly, in her avenging fury, had removed everything removable that she had paid for. The kitchen cupboards were empty. There were three chairs and one bed in the entire house, and no crockery. Fortunately, Lydia had salvaged the Hotel Dinnerware, and Ran had stuffed the attic with items Polly had thrown away. They had returned to the early, blissful days of their youthful marriage – the dinner of herbs where love was, and bugger-all else, as the Man had once described it. Lydia was radiant.

Rose had spent an enjoyable morning in Argos, buying her heaps of sheets and towels. It came to more than she had meant to spend on a Christmas present, but it also counted as a wedding gift. Ran had booked the
registry
office for the first week in April. He was as transparently happy as Lydia. Rose rather doubted they had heard the last of his amorous adventures – but at least he now had sense enough to keep his family together. She suspected Lydia was either pregnant, or expecting to be so any minute. Just as well, since Linnet had pointedly put ‘BABY BRUTHER’ at the top of her Christmas list.

Selena said to Lydia, ‘I hope you’re staying for supper. I’ve made industrial quantities of toad-in-the-hole.’

‘Well, if it’s organic,’ Ran said.

‘Course it is,’ Selena said. ‘When did you ever hear of a battery-farmed toad?’

‘Oh, ha ha.’

‘We’d love to,’ Lydia said. She was far firmer with her once-and-future husband these days. ‘Linnet’s determined to see Ru, and she might as well get as tired as possible now – I don’t much fancy being woken at five in the morning.’

Ran leaned over to kiss her, folding his hands protectively over her belly (pregnant! thought Rose). ‘Don’t tire yourself out as well.’

‘I won’t. Selena and I wrapped all the presents yesterday.’

A shriek rang out in the drawing room. The door burst open. Linnet dashed blindly through the kitchen, screaming, ‘Rufa! She’s come! Rufa!’

The windows of Melismate glowed with golden light. The snow had an eerie glimmer in the darkness. The headlights of the car caught
Evite La Pesne
on the gates.

Rufa said, ‘Now I have to face them.’ She was very tired, giddy with the remembered bliss of her delayed wedding night, and suddenly nervous about meeting her mother and sisters. ‘I’ve caused so much trouble. I must’ve put Mum through hell. Even at the time, I didn’t quite know why I had to run away. I’ll never be able to explain.’

‘You won’t have to,’ Edward said. He took his hand off the wheel to caress her thigh briefly. ‘They’ll all be like me, simply glad to have you safe. Nobody will want to go on about it. Once they get you in their clutches, they’ll never let you go.’

‘Well, they’ll have to,’ Rufa said, smiling. ‘I live with my husband these days. And I’ve been longing to be back in a warm bed with you. It was agony getting up this morning.’

He chuckled softly. They had slept fitfully, waking to make love every time their bare flesh touched, and they had left Braemar very early, so that Rufa could buy Christmas presents for Melismate and food for Edward’s farmhouse. She had stubbornly shopped herself half to death, and she was paying for it with a swimming head and ringing ears. But she had found the love of her life: the missing half of her soul. Her appetite for sex had come rushing back last night in a way that might have been a little embarrassing, if the man in question had not been Edward. Tired as she was, recalling his lovemaking now made her pulse beat faster.

‘You’re exhausted,’ Edward said. ‘I’ve worn you out. I’m very bad for you. I did warn you, once I started I wouldn’t be able to stop.’

‘Don’t be silly, you’re the best thing in the world for
me
.’ She looked thoughtfully ahead at the house, as they nosed cautiously along the snow-covered drive. ‘I can’t help thinking how pleased the Man is. I mean, now that he’s dead – he wouldn’t have been at all pleased about us when he was alive.’

‘And you feel we have his blessing now?’ His voice was gentle.

‘I know it sounds drippy. But I do.’

Edward stopped the car in front of the drawing-room window, which was filled with the coloured lights of the Christmas tree. They heard Linnet’s squeal of joy, and the door-slamming tumult of her approach, and both laughed.

He murmured, ‘In that case, the Man knows I’ll fill you up with as many babies as you can possibly want. My house will be completely trashed and strewn with hideous plastic toys – and I’ll love every bloody minute of it.’ He dropped a light kiss on her lips. ‘So don’t be too unhappy – look ahead, for a change. There’s nothing to be scared of.’

Rufa tried looking ahead – something she had not been able to do without terror for months – and found the picture painfully beautiful. More tears, from the bottomless well inside her, made her tired eyes swim. She and Edward were going to build a family. ‘Oh, darling –’

The great wooden door creaked slowly open, pushed by the small and impatient figure of Linnet. Energy poured into Rufa, on a huge surge of purest joy. She wrenched open her door, dropped to her knees on the snowy gravel, and clutched Linnet in her arms. Then the little girl was prised away, and Rose’s arms were around her. Rufa inhaled her mother’s familiar smell of
tobacco
and woodsmoke, and felt her familiar bobbly, overwashed jersey. Rose rocked her daughter like a baby, crooning and soothing. ‘My darling, my petal, my silk princess, it’s all right now.’

‘Mummy, I’m so sorry,’ Rufa mumbled in Rose’s shapeless woollen bosom. ‘I’m so, so sorry –’

‘Darling one, there’s nothing to be sorry for.’

‘That’s what I keep telling her,’ Edward said. ‘She’s been wearing sackcloth and ashes all day.’

‘Well, take them off. We’re having quite a party inside, and sackcloth is against our dress code.’ She released Rufa with a resounding kiss, to be vigorously hugged by her sisters.

Rufa asked, ‘Is Nancy here?’ She was aching to see Nancy. They had volumes of talking to get through.

‘On her way,’ Rose assured her. ‘She called this afternoon, in her Madame de Pompadour voice. So my guess is that she’s been having some Christmas sex. Do you need help with your bags?’

‘No thanks,’ Edward said crisply. ‘Ru’s not staying here.’

‘Oh?’ Rose’s antennae were twitching.

‘I’m going back with Edward,’ Rufa said, ridiculously shy. ‘We’re – well, we’ve decided to give it another try.’

‘Darling!’ Rose almost drove the breath out of her with another hard hug. ‘That’s wonderful! And does that mean –?’

‘Yes, Rose,’ Edward said, laughing and putting an arm around his bride. ‘Before you go into tactless overdrive, we’ve done it. All right?’

‘I wasn’t going to ask, but I would have guessed,’ Rose said. ‘How wonderfully typical of Ru, to have a steamy affair with her own husband.’

‘So that’s what you were up to last night,’ Selena said, ‘you spotless devils.’

Rose cuffed her affectionately. ‘Impertinent child – see what I have to put up with?’ She shivered. ‘Ru, you look utterly knackered, and blue with cold. Come inside.’

Everyone began to laugh and talk at once. Rufa found herself in her mother’s drinking chair beside the range, light-headed with warmth, dazed by so much happiness. Roger made her a mug of hearty, brick-red Melismate tea. When she glanced over at Edward, she saw her happiness reflected. He looked younger than she did.

Linnet twined her arms around Rufa’s neck. ‘You’re not allowed to go away ever again. You’re allowed to go to Edward’s, but THAT’S IT. Do you hear?’

Rufa stroked her hair. ‘That suits me. I didn’t like being so far away.’

‘Why did you go?’

‘I’ll tell you some day. I missed you so much.’ She could not stop gazing at the little girl, brooding over her.

‘I live at Daddy’s now,’ Linnet said comfortably.

‘I heard.’

‘Smelly’s gone. She found Daddy in Mummy’s bed.’

Rufa was too tired to make her usual attempt at a straight face, and could not help laughing. ‘Oh dear.’

‘You mean, oh goody,’ Linnet corrected her. ‘I was pleased. They’re doing their marrying all over again, and I can wear my bridesmaid’s dress.’

‘Really? You’ve set a date?’ Rufa asked Lydia.

Lydia nodded. ‘April the first – and don’t you dare say that’s appropriate.’

‘Congratulations. I’ll make you another wedding cake.’

‘We’ll save the top layer for the christening,’ Ran said.

‘Don’t, Ran. It’s not the right time to tell her.’ Lydia turned radiant, brimming eyes to Rufa. ‘Sorry. It’s far too early to know properly, anyway.’

‘But you’re trying?’ Rufa asked. She smiled, to show she could bear the news. ‘Liddy, that’s brilliant.’

‘We’ll have to see who gets there first,’ Edward said. ‘May the best man win.’

Ran gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder. ‘Welcome back to the family, Ed. You can’t get away from these Hasty women – so you might as well make babies with them.’

Selena presented Rufa with her plate of gingerbread stars. ‘I hope you and Edward are coming for Christmas lunch tomorrow. It’s my debut, and I want lavish praise from someone discerning.’

Rufa was impressed. ‘You’re not doing it all by yourself?’

The elegant young lady suddenly grinned, turning back into a child. ‘I could use some help with the turkey.’

Colour flooded into Rufa’s face. She revived before their eyes, like a Japanese paper flower dropped in water. ‘Have you got sausage meat for the stuffing?’

‘Yes.’

‘Chestnuts?’

‘Yup.’

‘Peeled?’

‘Tinned.’

‘I picked up a bag of fresh chestnuts at the grocer’s,’ Rufa said. ‘I knew they’d come in handy. I’ll bring them to church with me. Edward, what is it? Why are you laughing?’

‘You’re going to make me get up at dawn again, aren’t you?’

‘Yes. You can sleep in on Boxing Day.’

‘He can’t,’ Roger said. ‘What about the meet? You’ve got to be there, Ed. We can’t let old Bute think he’s beaten us, just because we’ve lost the Man.’

Ran said, ‘Count me in. I loathe hunting, and it’s time I did something macho and phallic.’

Edward was thoughtful. ‘I’m sure there’s a box of his old leaflets somewhere.’

Rose had another moment of intensely sensing the Man. She listened to the three men talking about the Boxing Day meet, as if he had blown the idea into their minds. It was good to hear deep voices in the house again. She watched her girls, talking and laughing around the range. Lydia and Selena – constantly bumping into each other – were laying the table for supper, vying to tell Rufa about the defeat of Smelly. Rufa cradled Linnet in her arms, listening contentedly. Rose saw how often she glanced over at Edward, and how tenderly he glanced back at her. It was an amazing outcome, but Rose had a strong sense of things being in their right places, at last.

She had learned a lot about Edward over the past year. She had discovered that you could peel away layer after layer of his character, and find only goodness, right to the core. Rose shuddered to think where they would all be now, without his endless love for Rufa. He had ended up marrying the entire family, resigning himself to the fact that they would all be in his hair for ever and ever. He would throw money at Ran’s doomed ventures. He would carry Selena through university, and keep the Melismate fridge filled. Once Rose had wondered what
was
in it for Edward. Seeing him with Rufa made it obvious. He was a man reborn.

‘The toad’s ready,’ Selena called. ‘Sit down.’

The door into the Great Hall creaked open. Nancy burst in, loaded with paper bags, and with milky mistletoe berries pinned in her blazing hair. ‘Merry Christmas – where’s Ru?’